The ax is falling on jobs and social services in Santa Clara County’s next fiscal budget. Struggling to manage a massive deficit, supervisors debated for nearly six hours Aug. 21 before approving the budget 4-1, with Board President Cindy Chavez casting the sole dissenting vote. The budget gap largely stems from decreased revenues from both...
Silicon Valley unemployment sees slight decline in July
People are starting to go back to work in Santa Clara County but unemployment is still alarmingly high. After unemployment reached a historic peak of 11.6% in April, it declined to 9.3% in July, according to a study released Aug. 21 by Joint Venture Silicon Valley, a group that provides analysis on the Silicon Valley...
South Bay families cling to hope of more aid as demand doubles at food banks
Tracy Tran and her husband fear they may soon have to file for bankruptcy. Tran works as a manicurist at La Orquidea Nail Salon and Spa in Los Gatos. Her husband runs the business, and Tran is one of 23 employees. The couple filed for unemployment benefits shortly after the salon shut down in March....
Santa Clara County looking at eliminating medical marijuana ID fee
Santa Clara County Supervisor Dave Cortese wants to make obtaining medical marijuana products more accessible by waiving the $100 renewal fee on ID cards. Cortese said the fee is “pretty arbitrary” and was set by the Board of Supervisors based on a recommendation from the administration when the State Senate bill that established the card...
Santa Clara County to test 5,000 daily at fairgrounds for COVID-19
Santa Clara County opened a new drive-through COVID-19 site at the County Fairgrounds with the aim of testing 5,000 people a day — the largest in the Bay Area. Announced Aug. 18, the appointment-only, high-capacity location is expected to complete 1,000 daily tests by the end of this week and continue to expand. Tests are...
FPPC complaint alleges Chu skirted campaign finance laws
California Assemblymember Kansen Chu, who is running for Santa Clara County supervisor, is the subject of a complaint filed with the Fair Political Practices Commission. The complaint, filed by former Assemblymember Paul Fong, alleges Chu violated the Political Reform Act by using his campaign for state Assembly to skirt the donation limits on candidates for...
Santa Clara County supervisors face staggering budget shortfall
Santa Clara County supervisors started the daunting task of addessing an anticipated budget deficit of between $200 million and $600 million, with jobs as the first place to cut. Before kicking off discussion Aug. 17 of the specifics of how to address the shortfall, supervisors reviewed their challenges, including uncertainty in federal and state funding...
Santa Clara County takes steps to connect older adults to technology
Santa Clara County leaders this week set in motion a plan to connect older adults to technology, a need that has become more urgent since widespread shelter-in-place orders went into effect. Concerns about the impact of social isolation have grown as the majority of senior services have transitioned online. The increasing use of telehealth and...
UPDATE: Santa Clara County approves fines for not wearing masks, flouting health order
Santa Clara County will begin issuing fines of up to $500 for not wearing face masks or social distancing in public, the Board of Supervisors decided unanimously Tuesday. In an attempt to control the spread of COVID-19 and mitigate its impact, the board adopted an urgency ordinance issuing citations against residents and businesses for violating...
COVID-19 workplace complaints pile up in South Bay but lack follow-up
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated. Workers showed up to work sick with COVID-19 symptoms. Management hid positive test results from employees. Supervisors banned phones to prevent documenting unsafe facilities. These are some of the allegations many South Bay workers have made since Santa Clara County began to ease shelter-in-place restrictions to allow some businesses to...